NDSU's horse judge team places in top 10

November 09, 2007

North Dakota State University's horse judging team placed among the top 10 teams at the recent American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The NDSU team competed against 21 other teams from throughout the nation. Team members were required to judge four halter classes and eight performance classes. Contestants then were required to present oral reasons to the competition judges to defend the team's placings for five of the classes. The team placed fifth in the halter class, ninth in performance and seventh overall. Team members are Rylan Sundsbak, Heidi Jo Hughes, Ashley Johnson, Abra Grosz and KaSondra Klein. The team's coaches are Shannon Eck, NDSU Equine Center manager, and Carrie Hammer, the head of and an assistant professor in the NDSU Equine Studies Program. This is only the second year that NDSU sponsored an intercollegiate horse judging team. "I'm extremely proud of how well the team did," Hammer says. "For our young team to place ahead of other well-established programs at much larger universities is a real testament to the students' hard work and dedication."